The Midnight Blue
by Solo Ensemble
Summary: [Liason COMPLETE]: Jason comes back to the 53rd annual Nurses Ball after leaving shortly after Sorel had a bomb placed in Elizabeth's studio.


**Note: **I totally made up the "umpteenth" annual Nurses Ball number, as Chloe Morgan used to say. (Admit it – there are some other old Stephan/Chloe fans out there! You know what I'm talking about.) And I have no idea where this came from and I'm not continuing it. Boo. (Urns.)

**The Midnight Blue**

He stood out on the balcony outside the Versailles Room, staring out at thousands of tiny stars twinkling merrily amidst the inky black sea of the late night sky. On the stone ledge in front of him was a half-filled glass of bourbon. The ice was melting in the summer warmth and had diluted the drink. He didn't find it nearly as appealing anymore.

The fifty-third annual Nurses Ball.

News of it had reached him while he was in Brazil. Sonny had called him up and told him that Robin would be coming back for the first time since she left for Paris to speak, and he thought that Jason would like to know. And it was for Robin that Jason halted his work in Brazil and flew all the way back to New York, only to stand on the balcony of a stuffy ballroom in a tuxedo with a diluted drink.

Not that he regretted it. Even after all this time, there wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for Robin. She had been up on the stage giving her speech about living with the Auto-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome commonly known as AIDS, and he had sat through the whole thing. And when it was over, he ordered a stiff drink and escaped to the balcony before he could be ambushed by his family and all the other vultures in their small town.

Being back in Port Charles…it didn't feel right. He had no sooner set his foot within city limits than that feeling had rushed up on him again – the feeling of being choked, of being oppressed by that stuffy, Victorian ethic that condemned him and everything he stood for, everything he lived for, everything he would be more than happy to die for. The city was abrasive and dirty and forbidding. He didn't have a friend within its boundaries except Sonny and Carly.

And then there was Elizabeth.

The thought of her made him glance ruefully at his diluted drink and wish for another one. Elizabeth. _Elizabeth_. He hadn't tried to find her when he walked through the large double doors into the Versailles Room. He hadn't looked for anyone but Sonny and when he took his seat next to his boss and mentor, his eyes found Robin on the stage and he didn't avert them. When she was done, he slipped out onto the balcony without talking to anyone, and that was where he was now.

_Elizabeth_.

He wanted nothing more than to find her, nothing more than to talk to her, to see her smile, to hear her laugh, to have her tease him like she always did about one thing or another. But he couldn't. He had heard rumblings from the guards as he had rushed to his penthouse to get ready, and their not-so-hushed conversing had told him all he needed to know about Elizabeth.

She had been fine ever since he had left. No more bomb threats or any other threat of any kind after she had told him that she'd "see him later". She had kept up with her painting and was still a waitress at Kelly's. The only thing that had changed was that Lucky Spencer had returned from the grave.

Luke's boy, Elizabeth's true love, had been kidnapped by Helena Cassidine and held as dead. And now he had escaped and he was back in town. And Jason could only imagine that the two of them were as happy as ever. With his luck, Lucky had already proposed to Elizabeth and they were planning on getting that apartment in the city that she had told him about.

He leaned against the stone ledge of the balcony, gripping it hard with his fingers as he stared out at the dark sky. He had waited too long and she had slipped through his fingers.

Leaving Port Charles the last time was something he had to do, he had told himself. Her safety was paramount; after that bomb in her studio, his enemies were sure to have grown bolder. It would only be a matter of time before she was hurt, and he had to leave her to protect her from that. It had been an easy decision to make – her safety for his happiness. He had told himself that it wouldn't be that hard; after all, she was just a friend, nothing more. He'd miss her, but eventually he'd grow used to it and it wouldn't hurt that much anymore.

He had been dead wrong.

As soon as he left Port Charles, Jason had headed for Switzerland to finish up some last-minute business. It had snowed in Switzerland. _It smelled like fucking snow in Switzerland_. And what was worse, they drank hot chocolate there – in Switzerland.

So he had high-tailed it out of there as soon as possible and gone to visit with an associate in Austria. But there had been mountains in Austria – and cliffs. Freaking cliffs.

So he had left and gone from there to England – he knew better than to head to either Egypt, Morocco, or Italy. There was something about England that had always managed to soothe his nerves in the past, and all he needed was a couple days to get lost in the thick fog and the sea of anti-American sentiment. But when he sat down at a corner restaurant and noticed that the Soup of the Day was none other than Chicken Noodle, he had almost broken something.

And so he set out to the island, then Puerto Rico and finally Brazil, where he had remained until receiving Sonny's phone call. He had tried to forget her, but with each coming day his feelings for her only grew stronger until he was forced to admit to himself at the price of his own sanity that they surpassed those of merely friendship. No, she wasn't his friend anymore. She was…more than a friend. And he couldn't bear to bring himself to admit what he really felt for her – especially not since Lucky had returned and Elizabeth's fairy tale had been restored to her. He couldn't take that away from her just in the name of a few misplaced, confused feelings.

And yet all he wanted to do was find her, take her in his arms, and make her understand…understand what? _He_ didn't even understand it himself!

All he knew was that something drastic had changed in the way he felt about Elizabeth Webber. She wasn't just Emily's friend. She hadn't been that for a long time. She wasn't just his friend. But he'd be damned if he knew exactly what she was.

There was a chorus of loud laughter from inside the Versailles Room and Jason cringed. It was all so artificial. So ostentatious. The whole town was so damn insincere that it was making him sick. He needed to leave – he needed to get out. Sonny would understand – he always did. He just couldn't stay in this town any longer and be reminded of what he could have been, what could have happened. What he and Elizabeth could have…

Shaking his head brusquely, Jason scowled at his watered-down drink. The ice had melted almost completely and fat drops of condensation raced down to form a dark puddle on the stone puddle. It was definitely time to leave.

His shoes, stiff from little use, creaked as he turned with ease, intending to go straight to his bike and leave this dingy town behind once more. The last time he left, he had done so to protect her. This time, he was doing so to protect himself.

A pair of glittering midnight blue eyes arrested him as soon as he turned on his heel and for a moment, Jason couldn't breathe. He just blinked at her, wondering if she was really there, standing just a couple feet away from him, or if he was imagining things. But then he remembered that he couldn't imagine things – which meant she really _was_ there.

He remembered to snap his mouth shut as his eyes roamed helplessly over her body. They started at the bottom, taking in her fire engine red toes and the pale, creamy skin of her narrow feet, encased in a pair of impossibly red strappy stilettos – the kinds that X-rated dreams were made of. Her dress was a darker shade of subdued red and it lapped at her slender ankles, hugging each curve perfectly. It dipped in just right at the pinch of her waist and encased the gentle swells of her breasts…and that was where it stopped. No sleeves, no straps, just cleavage. Her skin was purest alabaster, glowing in the pristine moonlight, and her fingers matched her toes. Gulping, Jason lifted his eyes to hers, finding the sapphire depths he had come to love so much now watching him curiously.

Those plump, painted lips parted on his name. "Jason. Hey."

The mobster could actually feel his blood rushing to his neck and face. "Hey."

She swallowed and then pushed her shoulder away from the column that she had been leaning against. "I didn't know you were back until I…saw you walk in."

He dipped his head once. "I just got back this afternoon."

The brunette nodded, and a few lacy tendrils of her soft chocolate hair fluttered in the warm summer breeze. Jason watched as her sinfully perfect lips curled in a small smile, and then shook himself out of it. Elizabeth didn't have any feelings for him, he had to remind himself – _he_ was the one that was the pervert here. "I'm really glad you're back."

That made him smile, and Elizabeth's eyes glowed at the familiar boyish smile he tossed her way. "Thanks. I am, too – now."

Little did he know that smile was the one that broke the ice. Elizabeth's eyes sparkled as she claimed the remaining distance between them and the young woman stood up on her toes and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly with her face pressed into the side of his neck. Jason couldn't move for a moment, and then the hardened enforcer gingerly brought his large hands up to span her waist, stifling a groan when his fingertips inadvertently roamed over the exposed skin of her back.

"How've you been?" The question was whispered into her hair, the silky riot of shiny chocolate curls that brushed against Jason's rough chin in the lightest of caresses. He didn't remove his hands from her warm, velvet-soft back and she didn't back away from his hug, choosing instead to remain cuddled up in his embrace.

"I've been good." Her voice filtered through the balmy night air, a soft and lilting sound that was music to his ears. A moment passed by and Jason furrowed his sandy brows.

"I'll ask again – how've you been?"

Her laughter was quiet, the rustle of tall night grasses in the early hours of the morning. "You always knew when I was lying. How do you do it?"

"Don't avoid the question," he grinned down at her, amazed for a moment at the startling depth of her midnight blue eyes. But the amazement soon passed into concern as he saw for the first time the guarded sadness in her beautiful, shining orbs. She looked so young under the glow of the pristine moon – so innocent and pure. And it reminded him of all the reasons he had left – in summation, so she could stay that way.

"Lucky's alive." Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and Elizabeth averted her gaze for a moment before looking back up at him. Jason didn't know how to answer so he simply nodded.

"I heard."

Something flashed in her eyes and the corners of her mouth turned down. "When?"

Jason blinked at the harsh demand. "Um, today, when I got back."

She relaxed and nodded apologetically. "Sorry, I thought – yeah. He's alive." Her lips trembled in a watery smile and Jason frowned down at her when she had to blink back tears. His broad hand moved reluctantly from the small of her waist to her elbow and he tugged her toward the wide stone ledge of the balcony.

"Come on, sit down for a minute." She obeyed him quietly, hiking up her dress slightly as she sat and letting it fall down again when she was situated. Jason's fingers were still entwined in hers and his thumb swept large, broad circles around the back of her hand subconsciously. "What's going on? When I found out that he was…okay, I thought you'd be happy."

She looked out over the ledge at the stars, gazing up at them wistfully as a sad smile, and she didn't notice that when she shifted, her movement sent his diluted drink tumbling off the ledge. The glass shattered on the ground a few feet underneath and Jason glanced down in surprise. Elizabeth, however, only laughed. It was a sad laugh – quiet and strained.

His concerned cerulean eyes bore into hers, trying to get her to look at him. "Elizabeth?"

She could hear the worry in his voice and just shook her head. When she looked at him, Jason could see the tears in her eyes. "Something broke, Jason – again."

His fingers squeezed hers. "Who broke, Elizabeth?"

The brunette shook her head once more. "Not me. Him."

That was not what he had been expecting. "What?"

"Us," she clarified. "That's what broke. And we broke a long time ago, I think."

"Elizabeth, I don't-"

She was no longer listening to him. "When Lucky died, it was like my whole world turned upside down. Everything just crashed around me, and it felt like I was being buried alive in the rubble. Every day was a struggle, and sometimes I almost didn't make it through." His heart constricted painfully in his chest but Jason just nodded. She was still staring out at the stars and didn't see him. "I thought I'd never get over him. I'd never get past him."

Elizabeth turned and looked at him then, and Jason could only stare back at her, his eyes full of empathy and understanding as she poured her heart out to him. "But I did. And that's what's killing me."

He could have sworn that his heart skipped two beats on the spot. "W-What? What are you saying?"

Her lower lip trembled. "I loved Lucky more than I ever loved anyone in my life. I thought he was _it_; the one person that I couldn't imagine living without." She let out a soft laugh, nothing more than a soft exhale of breath, and blinked at the twinkling stars. "But I did. It's been two years since the fire, and somehow I moved on. I don't know when it happened, I don't know how it happened. I don't know i-if it was sudden or just a gradual acceptance."

A fat tear slipped down her face, racing down to her jaw and Jason swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "I wasn't supposed to, Jason."

He pressed closer, trying to block out the scent of jasmine that washed over him. "You weren't supposed to _what_, Elizabeth?"

Her eyes met his, wide and honest. "I wasn't supposed to move on."

That stopped him cold, and Elizabeth watched as he snapped his mouth shut and looked away, processing what she had just said. She had rendered Jason Morgan speechless – the thought made the corner of her mouth twitch. She watched him as he thought, the moonlight casting strong shadows across his perfect, angular features. It sparkled in his hair, falling in specks of diamonds on the golden spikes that remained unruly and wild despite the formal tuxedo he wore. Her mind wandered back to the many nights they had spent outside, at the bridge, on the docks. He always looked so peaceful in the moonlight.

His eyes crinkled at the sides as he thought, and Elizabeth forced herself to look away. There was no way she could tell him. And tell him _what_? – She wasn't even sure of what was going on herself. All she knew was that Lucky had come back and she should have been overjoyed – but instead of wanting to go hang out at the boxcar, she wanted to sit around on the docks. Instead of guzzling cheese fries at Kelly's, she wanted to play pool at Jake's.

Instead of wanting Lucky…she wanted Jason.

He wasn't saying anything and still stared out at the stars. Soon, Elizabeth joined him. Her dainty fingers were still encased in his long, rough ones, and every once in a while he'd give them a light squeeze.

"I didn't think I'd move on after Robin, either."

She looked at him in surprise, not having expected that in a million years. He still wore a serious look on his stern face and instead of saying anything, Elizabeth just turned back to the stars and let him speak his peace.

"I thought she was the one person in my life that I could depend on completely – that we'd stand by each other no matter what. That we'd never outgrow each other. She taught me to love, and I thought that if she went, so would my _ability_ to love." He bowed his head and blinked at the cold stone under his hand. "It didn't."

"You came all the way from…from…from wherever you were just to see her tonight," Elizabeth pointed out gently.

Jason smirked and shook his head. "Brazil. That's where I was."

"Oh." A brief pause. "Is it nice?"

The question made him stop and think. "It's…It just _is_."

She seemed to know exactly what he meant and her wide eyes glowed. Jason cleared his throat and his gaze dropped to their clasped hands. "I-I came today because…because I'll always love Robin. Even after what she did, I'll still always care about her. I'll always want her to be happy. But that's not the same as being in love with her."

Elizabeth smiled ruefully. "I know what you mean," she admitted quietly. "Just like I'll always love Lucky, but I'm not _in_ love with Lucky."

Jason's cerulean orbs snapped up to meet hers at that instant, and it wasn't until then that Elizabeth fully realized what she had said. She didn't love Lucky. Had it just slipped out? So easily? Just like that? And Jason was just as surprised as she was.

"Y-You don't?" His intense blue eyes sparkled with something she couldn't place. "But-"

She shook her head, silencing him. "I don't." He watched as she turned away with a heavy sigh. "And that hurts the most – I was supposed to love him forever. If our love was real, then how can I just…move on?"

He scooted over on the ledge closer to her, and braced one arm behind her. Their backs were to the stars and they could see the revelers continue to laugh and talk inside the Versailles Room. "Just because you put it behind you doesn't mean that your love wasn't real, Elizabeth." She turned her head slowly and looked back at him. "Sometimes…things change. People change."

She didn't look convinced and Jason sighed, rubbing a hand over his rough jaw. "I know how much you loved Lucky. I saw what you were like…afterwards, Elizabeth. It was the same way I was when I lost Michael. I _know_ you loved him. But sometimes, Elizabeth, the pain, the anguish, even the love…it just fades away. That doesn't mean that it didn't mean anything, though. It just means that you're growing up. That you're changing. And change isn't always bad."

The corners of her mouth lifted but the brief smile didn't reach her eyes. "No, I guess it's not." She glanced at him hesitantly, unsure if she should say the next part or not. But as usual, her impulsive side won out. "If you hadn't changed into the man you are now, I never would have gotten to know you."

He smiled softly at her. "I'm glad you got to know me."

The brunette's eyes twinkled and she laughed that sweet, bubbly laugh he loved so much. "Yeah, me, too, Jason." He was still smiling and unprepared for when she leaned into his side, letting only their foreheads touch as the temple. He heard her let out a small sigh and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of her skin against his as they just sat in the moonlight.

He felt her move away and when he looked up, she was suddenly inches from his face. His movement startled Elizabeth, who had only been about to start up the conversation again, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Elizabeth's lashes fluttered and Jason felt her eyes sucking him in. Slowly, he leaned into her, closer, closer…And then he realized what he was doing and immediately pulled back.

He couldn't look at her just then; if he had, he would have seen the brief flash of disappointment in her eyes. Instead, Elizabeth did what she always did and brushed it away before lightening her voice and picking up where they had left off.

"Have you seen Emily yet?"

Jason smiled at the mention of his younger sister but shook his head. "I knew that if I tried to talk to her after the speech, the rest of them would start in on me. And I couldn't deal with that just then."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "She's missed you, you know," she informed him, poking the enforcer in the shoulder and smiling when he chuckled. "If you want, I can go get her for you."

"Where is she?" Jason wanted to know, his cerulean eyes already scanning the Versailles Room.

"She's with…Nikolas and Lucky," Elizabeth replied slowly. "They're inside somewhere."

Jason looked at her with surprise. "Lucky came to the Ball? I thought he would have-"

The brunette cut him off with a brisk nod. "Yeah, we all decided to come together. You know, we thought it would be good for…" Her voice trailed off and she had to take a deep breath. Jason frowned at her and she slowly met his gaze once more. "Jason, Lucky doesn't remember anything."

The enforcer stared at her in shock. "W-Wait – what? You mean-"

She shrugged, the corner of her mouth hooking upwards. "He doesn't remember anything. Not how we met, not…not that night in the park, not loving me. He doesn't remember."

A long moment passed before Jason could speak. "I-Elizabeth, I'm sorry."

She nodded at his sincerity. "I know. Thank you. See…" She shook her head once. "I should be angry. I should be furious – he comes back after being dead for a year and he doesn't recognize any of us. I should be devastated or hysterical or something – but, Jason…I'm not." Her lips were pursed in a thin red line. "Maybe that means I'm losing my mind – I don't know. But I'm not devastated. I'm a little sad, yeah, that he doesn't remember, but it feels like somehow, I've accepted it. I don't know, but I've come to terms with it." Her light laughter floated around them. "God, how terrible does that sound? He doesn't remember loving me and I've already forgotten loving him."

His hand snaked around her waist and Jason pulled her closer, coaxing her to rest her head against his shoulder. "Elizabeth-"

"It shouldn't be this way," she whispered, curling her fingers into his shirt. "I should be upset – I should be borderline hysterical and inconsolable. Why aren't I?"

His chin rested on her silky curls. "Because you've moved on?"

She nodded slowly, tremulously. "Yeah, I have. And that's the scary part."

So engrossed were they in their conversation that neither of them heard the steady click of footsteps as a lone figure ascended the carpeted stairway up the balcony. Jason and Elizabeth only looked up when the figure knocked hesitantly on the column that Elizabeth had been leaning against.

Jason's eyes widened at the young man in front of him, and next to him, Elizabeth slowly lifted herself from his embraced but kept her fingers twined with his. Lucky Spencer, his hair longer now and ending just at his eyes, was smiling curiously at them.

"Elizabeth, hey," he greeted her softly, gesturing awkwardly toward the inside of the Versailles Room. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Emily and Nikolas were just…" His voice trailed off when he realized that neither of them looked as if they could speak right away, and the boy could easily pick up on the tension out on the balcony. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Elizabeth looked up at Jason and he saw her lips curve into a soft smile out of the corner of his eye as she watched him. "It's okay."

Lucky followed her gaze to the suddenly stern enforcer and hesitantly stepped forward, extending his hand. "Hi, um, I don't think we've met. Well, we might have, but…I'm Lucky Spencer."

Jason stared at his hand before slowly moving forward to accept it, giving it one good pump in return. "Jason. Jason Morgan."

Lucky cocked his head to the side and squinted. "Jason Morgan, huh? That sounds kinda familiar. Maybe someone mentioned it to me before – have I-"

"You used to work for me," Jason answered softly. "I owned a garage and…you helped me out."

The blonde nodded. "Oh. Okay." His gaze darted to Elizabeth, and then back to Jason. "Look, I can tell I interrupted something, so I'm just gonna head out. Elizabeth, I actually came to find you because Emily and Nikolas thought it would be nice to duck out and go for a drive, and I wanted to see if you wanted to come along…"

Jason watched her shake her head. "No, thanks. You guys go ahead." His breathing hitched in his throat when she looked up at him and he realized that she had turned down her friends to stay with him. "I'm fine."

Lucky's brows furrowed. "Are you sure? Don't you need a ride back ho-"

"I'll drop her off," Jason answered quietly, stuffing his free hand into his pocket. Lucky looked at him curiously and then shrugged.

"Okay, I'll see you two later then," he replied with a smile. "Goodnight."

"Night, Lucky." Elizabeth watched her former love turn on his heel and stroll down to where their friends were waiting for him, and the brunette sighed softly and looked at Jason. "See?"

The mobster nodded. "He isn't showing any signs of-"

She shook her head. "Laura and Luke keep hoping that he'll remember, but so far? Nothing." She shrugged. "I hope they don't push him too much. Even though he's confused, he seems happy right now. He's kinda taking everything in stride, just testing it all out. I hope he stays that way."

He watched her watch him, now just a tiny figure in a sea of black tuxedos, and was surprised to see the corner of her mouth twitch. "It's so weird."

"What is?"

She lifted her eyes to his and the honesty displayed within the sparkling orbs made his breath catch. "That I can look at him and not…feel it. That my heart doesn't break when he asks me what my name is again. That I don't watch him and wish that he'd kiss me. That I don't…feel it anymore."

He had turned to face her while she talked, still looking at Lucky while she did, and Elizabeth was surprised at how close he suddenly was. Swallowing roughly, she was powerless to keep her gaze from drifting to his lips. He licked them and she could feel her pulse rate increase as the warmth radiated off his body in the balmy night.

No, she didn't feel it anymore…at least not when she looked at Lucky.

He seemed to sense it, too, and leaned closer to her, this time inhaling her light scent. His breath, warm and moist, feathered over her lips and Elizabeth felt her body being pulled as if magnetically toward his.

And then a chorus of laughter erupted in the room below and Jason pulled back as if physically jerked away. He turned his shoulder to her and Elizabeth pressed a hand over her lips, cursing herself. Tears sprung to her eyes without her permission and she furiously tried to blink them away. Clearing her throat, she quickly tried to compose her voice so that it wouldn't waver. She was unsuccessful.

"You never told me how long you were staying."

She could feel him stiffen behind her at the statement, and all of a sudden, she knew. Slowly, deliberately, the petite brunette turned on her heel and stared hard at his frozen form.

"You never told me _how long you were staying_." Each word was harsh, a bitter barb, and Jason still wouldn't look at her, only confirming her worst fear.

A strangled laugh made it past her lips as Elizabeth tried to combat a fresh wave of tears. "I get it. You're leaving again. When? Tomorrow morning? Tonight? Hell, were you supposed to leave right after Robin was done? I'm sorry for _keeping you_, Jason!"

He turned then, his eyes shining with regret. "Elizabeth-"

"Don't even start with me," she ground out, pointing a finger at him in accusation. The warm summer breeze rustled through the curly locks she had piled on her head in a loose twist, setting some of them free. They fluttered against her flushed skin as she stared him down with watery eyes, and more than anything, Jason wanted to rush up to her and take her in his arms.

"It was bad enough that you left the first time," she seethed, backing away when he tried to go to her. "You just up and walked away – did you even think about how much that hurt-" She stopped herself, clamping her lips shut for a moment before starting anew. "And now you're just going to pick up and leave _again_? Well, you know what? Go! Just go! Go ahead, damn you!"

He didn't move, and she couldn't take the way he was looking at her. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were wet and red, and Jason was still looking at her as if…he was looking at her like he always did. Anger coursed through her and Elizabeth claimed the remaining few steps between them.

Jason was still numb when she planted her small hands on his chest and tried to shove him. "Didn't you hear me? Go! Just go, Jason!" She sniffed back her tears, furious with herself for letting him see them, and continued to shove at him. Jason stumbled back a step before finally regaining the presence of mind to grab her waist gently. "Go! No one wants you here! Don't you get it? N-No one wa-ants y-you-"

She was sobbing now, and Jason quickly pulled her into his arms. Hooking two fingers under her chin, he forced her to look up at him. Her eyes were wide and glassy and tears had made her skin dewy. She stared up at him hard, furiously and sadly at the same time, and Jason's eyes penetrated hers easily.

He didn't need any more – he had already seen what he needed. Without another word, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers in a searing kiss. She fought him at first, then stilled for a brief second before pulling him closer. She latched onto him as he did her, neither able to get close enough. His hand cupped the back of her neck and his long fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her up hard against his solid frame. She snarled against him and bit his lip, losing herself in his tight embrace.

When they pulled apart, they were both out of breath. Her forehead rested against his and his arms were still wrapped tightly around her nimble frame. Jason watched her with complete adoration as her breathing gradually slowed. Her eyes were still closed, her skin flushed, and her lips swollen from his kisses. His fingers had done a good job of freeing most of her wild curls from their nest and now her hair tumbled down her shoulders. A few tears still remained and he bent slowly, softly kissing them away.

She opened her eyes slowly, revealing those passionate midnight blues, and Jason's nose bumped into hers as his gaze bore steadily into hers. "Come away with me."

He could see the confusion in her dark eyes. "W-What?"

"Come away with me," he repeated again, stroking the small of her back. "Tonight." He could see her hesitation, her desire to do what he asked and the confliction of that desire with the need to stay. "It doesn't have to be for a long time, Elizabeth – it can just be for a couple days. Come away with me."

Her skin flooded with color and her teeth nibbled on that succulent lower lip as a new light sparkled in her eyes. He watched as a slow smile spread and claimed her full lips, and then her arms were around his neck again.

"Will you?"

She nodded slowly at first and then eagerly. "Yeah."

He was grinning against her lips as he leaned down to press another kiss there, pulling her and molding her small body completely to his. She responded beautifully, giving him everything he asked for and more, and Jason could barely stifle a groan when her painted nails scraped against his scalp. He pulled away before it could get out of control. "My bike's in the hospital lot," he panted against her lips, "Let's go."

**The End.**


End file.
